The twelve drinks of Christmas No.10

The ten week countdown is officially on, and here we are put into another lockdown for four weeks (if you live in NI) how will we cope? It's making it quite hard to get in the Christmas mood when all this is going on, and the dreaded thought of going into busy town centres. We think the trick this year is to shop local and online! You can find the most special things, that mean the most to people.

This week it is all about Chateau D’Orignac Pineau de Charentes, is it a dessert wine for food pairing, a cocktail ingredient, or an aperitif. Turns out, Pineau des Charentes is a bit of a beverage chameleon, fitting in to all of these drinking moulds – which is exactly why it should be a staple of the home bar this Christmas.

That’s why we love Chateau D`Orignac Pineau des Charentes. It is made from two-thirds grape must (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) with one-third Cognac and takes almost 10 years to produce, which results in an intense, complex nose of peaches, apricots, honey, almonds and Cognac and an unforgettably smooth texture on the palate.

Owned by Yvan Meyer, Maison Sichel's Technical Director, Château d'Orignac has won accolades in France and throughout the world. This wine is made in the time honoured way, by carefully blending aged eau-de-vie and unfermented grape juice that comes from selected Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, picked when perfectly ripe. After blending, it is aged for a minimum of 5 years in oak casks, made by top coopers based in central France. Only after this extensive maturation period does Château d'Orignac Pineau take on its full depth of flavour and balance.

Rich amber colour shot through with gold tints. Very intense, complex nose of apricots, honey and raisins. Full and rich on the palate, with grape and Cognac flavours. At once intense and elegant. A remarkable and inimitable example of top quality Pineau des Charentes, justly deserving of its reputation. Should be served well chilled. A classic apéritif but also delicious with savoury dishes, desserts and cheese, such as Roquefort and mature Dutch Gouda

Once opened, Pineau du Château d'Orignac will keep very well for several weeks in the refrigerator (Not that you'l need to keep it that long). Let us know what you think!